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Decorated Professor to Deliver Arts and Sciences Lecture
Dr.Su
Dr.Q Charles Su
Q. Charles Su, Professor of Physics, will deliver the College’s Spring Arts and Sciences Lecture, “Enlightened by Lasers,” on Tuesday, April 25, at 7:30 p.m. in the Bone Student Center Old Main Room. Su was selected by a committee of the College Council to speak at the lecture series intended to honor Arts and Sciences faculty members who have made outstanding scholarly contributions to the University and their disciplines. Su, who has been at Illinois State since 1994, was recognized with a 1997 Undergraduate Computational Engineering and Science Award from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Most recently, Su, along with his colleague Rainer Grobe, was awarded the prestigious 2006 American Physical Society Prize for research in an undergraduate institution.

The award honors those whose research has achieved wide recognition and contributed substantially to the discipline and to the professional development of students. “Professor Su is one of Illinois State’s most decorated researchers and teachers,” said Dean Olson. “I look forward to a very stimulating lecture next Tuesday night!”

Su studies aspects of laser-matter interactions ranging from laser fusion diagnosis to non-invasive imaging biological systems. His investigations include stabilizing atoms, accelerating atomic electrons and the process of matter creation in a vacuum, with several works pioneering new studies in atomic and optical physics. He also co-invented a device from trans-illumination imaging and detection based on intensity modulation. Su’s research has been supported by external grants of over $1 million from entities such as the National Science Foundation, the US. Department of Energy, and the Research Corporation. More than 90 research publications document his research work and have been cited by colleagues around the world more that 1,400 times, with several of his works cited more than 200 times each. Also, he has presented at numerous international conferences in France, Japan, Russia, Czech Republic, Italy, China, and Canada.

Su has been recognized with the University Research Initiative, the University Teaching Initiative, Outstanding College Researcher, and Outstanding University Researcher awards. He also contributed to the establishment of the Department of Physics’ newest degree sequence in Computer Physics. Su earned his Ph.D. from the University of Rochester and holds a B.S. from Nankai University. He was a Research Associate at the Max-Planck Institute for Quantum Optics in Germany before joining Illinois State’s Department of Physics.

The Arts and Sciences Lecture Series was established in 1968 as a means of honoring Arts and Sciences faculty members. It is a peer-determined award that recognizes the significant national and international reputation of a scholar and/or teacher in the College. Being chosen by one’s peers to be the Arts and Sciences Lecturer is, alongside the Dean’s Award, the highest honor that the College of Arts and Sciences can bestow on one of its faculty.
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